Falkirk (council area)

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Falkirk (Template:IPAc-en Script error: No such module "Respell".; Template:Langx Script error: No such module "IPA".; Template:Langx) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas of Scotland. It was formed on 1 April 1996 by way of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 from the exact boundaries of Falkirk District, one of three parts of the Central region created in 1975, which was abolished at that time. Prior to the 1975 reorganisation, the majority of the council area was part of the historic county of Stirlingshire, and a small part, namely Bo'ness and Blackness, was part of the former county of West Lothian.

The council area borders with North Lanarkshire, Stirling and West Lothian, and, across the Firth of Forth to the northeast, Clackmannanshire and Fife. The largest town is Falkirk; other settlements, most of which surround Falkirk within Script error: No such module "convert". of its centre, include Bo'ness, Bonnybridge, Denny, Grangemouth, Larbert, Polmont, Shieldhill, Camelon and Stenhousemuir.

The council is led by the SNP which won 12 seats in the 2022 Council Election. The incumbent leader of is councillor Cecil Meiklejohn; the provost is Robert Bissett and the deputy provost is David Balfour.

History

The town of Falkirk was made a burgh in 1600, and was then governed by a town council (also known as the corporation) until 1975.[1] Scotland's counties, burghs and landward districts were abolished in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, and replaced with upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts. A new Falkirk District was created as one of three districts within the Central Region. The new district was significantly larger than the old Falkirk burgh, covering the whole area of eight former districts and part of a ninth, which were all abolished at the same time:[2]

From Stirlingshire:

From West Lothian:

The resulting area could also be defined in terms of parishes as:[3][4]

The new district and its neighbour Stirling were together made a new Stirling and Falkirk lieutenancy area. The last Lord Lieutenant of Stirlingshire became the first Lord Lieutenant of Stirling and Falkirk.[5]

Local government was reformed again in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, which abolished the regions and districts which had been created in 1975, replacing them with unitary council areas. Central Region was abolished and each of the area's three districts, including Falkirk, became council areas.[6]

Demography

Languages

The 2022 Scottish Census reported that out of 154,082 residents aged three and over, 58,016 (37.7%) considered themselves able to speak or read the Scots language. [7]"

The 2022 Scottish Census reported that out of 154,077 residents aged three and over, 1,481 (1%) considered themselves able to speak or read Gaelic. [8]

Settlements

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Largest settlements by population:

Settlement Population (Template:Scottish settlement population citation)[9]
Falkirk Template:Scottish locality population
Grangemouth Template:Scottish locality population
Bo'ness Template:Scottish locality population
Larbert Template:Scottish locality population
Stenhousemuir Template:Scottish locality population
Denny Template:Scottish locality population
Bonnybridge Template:Scottish locality population
Polmont Template:Scottish locality population
Brightons Template:Scottish locality population
Maddiston Template:Scottish locality population

Governance

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Political control

The council has been under no overall control since 1999. The Scottish National Party formed a minority administration following the 2017 election, and continues to run the council as a minority administration following the 2022 election.[10]

The first election to Falkirk District Council was held in 1974, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new system came into force on 16 May 1975. A shadow authority was again elected in 1995 ahead of the change to council areas which came into force on 1 April 1996. Political control since 1975 has been as follows:[11]

Falkirk District Council

Party in control Years
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell || 1975–1977

  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell || 1977–1980

  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell || 1980–1992

  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell || 1992–1996

Falkirk Council

Party in control Years
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell || 1996–1999

  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell || 1999–

Leadership

The role of provost is largely ceremonial in Falkirk. They chair full council meetings and act as the council's civic figurehead. Political leadership is provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1996 have been:

Councillor Party From To
Willie Anderson[12][13]
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Template:Redirect category shell || align=right|1 Apr 1996 || align=right|28 Oct 1996

John Connolly[14][15]
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell || align=right|5 Nov 1996 || align=right|28 Feb 2001

David Alexander[16][17]
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell || align=right|28 Feb 2001 || align=right|May 2007

Linda Gow[18][19]
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell || align=right|18 May 2007 || align=right|Jan 2010

Craig Martin[20][21]
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell || align=right|28 Jan 2010 || align=right|May 2017

Cecil Meiklejohn[22]
  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell || align=right|25 May 2017 || align=right|

Composition

Following the 2022 election and subsequent changes of allegiance up to March 2025, the composition of the council was:[23]

Party Councillors
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Template:Redirect category shell || align=center|11

  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell || align=center|9

  1. REDIRECT Template:Party name with color

Template:Redirect category shell || align=center|4

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Template:Redirect category shell || align=center|1

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Template:Redirect category shell || align=center|5

Total 30

The next election is due in 2027.[23]

Premises

From the district council's creation in 1975, it was based at the Municipal Buildings on West Bridge Street in Falkirk, which had been built for the former Falkirk Town Council and had been formally opened on 21 January 1966.[24] The building was part of a complex which also included a courthouse, a clinic, and an events venue and theatre called Falkirk Town Hall. Prior to 1966 the town council had been based at the old Municipal Buildings at 12–14 Newmarket Street in the town centre, which had been built in 1879.[25]

After deciding the 1966 building was uneconomic to repair and maintain, the council vacated the Municipal Buildings in 2020 pending their demolition.[26] The attached Falkirk Town Hall closed in 2023.[27] Since 2020, the council's offices have been distributed across several buildings throughout the area.[28][29] It was subsequently decided to build a new headquarters on the site of the former Callendar Square shopping centre in central Falkirk. Work began on the site in May 2024, and the new building is projected to be completed in 2027.[30]

Elections

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Year Seats SNP Labour Conservative Independent / Other Notes
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1995 36 8 23 2 3
1999 32 9 15 2 6 New ward boundaries.[31]
2003 32 9 14 2 7
2007 32 13 14 2 3 New ward boundaries.[32]
2012 32 13 14 2 3
2017 30 12 9 7 2 New ward boundaries.[33]
2022 30 12 9 5 4
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Wards

File:Falkirk UK ward map 2017 (blank).svg
Map of the area's wards (2017 configuration)

For the purposes of elections to Falkirk Council, the area is divided geographically into a number of wards which then elect either three or four councillors each by the Single Transferable Vote system. The electoral system of local councils in Scotland is governed by the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, an Act of the Scottish Parliament which first introduced proportional representation to councils. These electoral wards are as follows:[33]

Ward
number 		Name Location Seats
1 Bo'ness and Blackness File:Boness and Blackness.svg 3
2 Grangemouth File:Grangemouth.svg 3
3 Denny and Banknock File:Denny and Banknock.svg 4
4 Carse, Kinnaird and Tryst File:Carse Kinnaird and Tryst.svg 4
5 Bonnybridge and Larbert File:Bonnybridge and Larbert.svg 3
6 Falkirk North File:Falkirk North.svg 4
7 Falkirk South File:Falkirk South.svg 3
8 Lower Braes File:Lower Braes.svg 3
9 Upper Braes File:Upper Braes.svg 3

Communities

The area is divided into 23 community council areas, eleven of which have community councils as at 2023, being those with asterisks.[34]

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References

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  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  5. ↑ Template:Cite legislation UK
  6. ↑ Template:Cite legislation UK
  7. ↑ [1]
  8. ↑ [https://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/webapi/opentable?id=019a2022-ecdd-77ea-96ad-569f0c5b3786
  9. ↑ Template:Scottish settlement population citation
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". (Put "Falkirk" in search box to see specific results.)
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Template:Historic Environment Scotland
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ Template:Cite legislation UK
  32. ↑ Template:Cite legislation Scotland
  33. ↑ a b Template:Cite legislation Scotland
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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External links

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